Nancy and I had quite a lively discussion yesterday based on some of the comments left on my last post about what weight goal to shoot for when you were trying to build muscle. All commenters suggested that achieving the 10% body fat goal suggested in Serious Strength Training for the hypertrophy (muscle gain) phase was tough.
Well, 10% is below women's essential body fat (the level of fat they need to function properly). So, it's not sustainable for them. However, female bodybuilders target that level and below for their competitions. Personally, I have always been a bit amazed that someone would push the envelope like that. It seems dangerous and not worth it.
Nancy disagrees. We discuss what would motivate someone to drop below essential fat and what a reasonable goal might be for hypertrophy in women. I'm not sure we came up with an answer to that last one.
That last (unanswered) question is intriguing - what is a reasonable goal for hypertrophy in women? Make sure you mention any near-agreements you have on this one :)
Posted by: Scott | June 12, 2006 at 04:44
Well, this is quite the question. I think the trick to succeeding in this sport is planning. However, that's remarkably hard.
Posted by: Bud Gibson | June 13, 2006 at 01:01